Australian Antarctic Division: Leading Australia’s Antarctic Program

Australia's new icebreaker - RSV Nuyina

Australia’s new Antarctic icebreaker, RSV Nuyina, is due to arrive in Hobart in 2020. It will be the main lifeline to Australia’s Antarctic and sub-Antarctic research stations and the central platform of our Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientific research.

Construction of the ship at Damen Shipyards in Romania commenced in May 2017, with a steel cutting ceremony, while a keel laying ceremony in August saw the first building-block of the ship consolidated in the drydock. In September 2018 the ship was floated from the dry dock to the wet dock, for the next phase of construction. Construction is expected to be completed at the end of 2019. Watch fore and aft timelapse videos of the ship's construction in the drydock, on our webcam page. More information about the ship’s construction is available in construction updates.